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Best Drives— MercedesAMG C63 S Coupe
By Bob Long
I remember the first time back in Boston around 2009 when I got a week test drive in C63 AMG Sedan. The massive V-8 power plant stuffed into this compact car combined with an exhaust note right out heaven, I still remember it so fondly. The exhaust sounded like a German World War II howitzer cannon and I loved it.
Fast forward to recently when I was blown away by one best drives of the past year. First off styling wise it is absolutely breathtaking in full zoot S trim. This is one beautiful machine from every angle. The 2017 Mercedes AMG C63S Coupe is simply stunning.
For those not familiar with AMG. The former separate tuner company beat its path to high-performance credibility with a hammer. The German speed shop’s first street car, the 355-hp 1987 ( assembled by Porsche) Mercedes-Benz AMG Hammer sedan, set the record for the world’s fastest production four-door at 178 mph, then set the pace for the subsequent 30-year parade of raucous, tire-shredding AMG brutes.
The speed shop is now part of Mercedes and has in rent years produced the incredible SLS AMG Gull wing and the current AMG GT Coupe. As of late, more civilized cars and the use of all-wheel drive suggest that today’s AMG swings its hammer a little more softly in exchange for greater chassis control and improved traction. That is upsetting period. Loud and brash machines like the C63 S AMG coupe are increasingly rare and that is a shame.
The new 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 S coupe doesn’t come off as a brute at first glance. Twin turbochargers muffle the small-displacement 4.0-liter V-8, and the exhaust terminates in a quartet of pea shooter tailpipes hidden behind the jumbo trapezoid openings in the rear bumper.
Yet pin the throttle and this more efficient engine is almost as wild as the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 that it replaces. The high-output C63 S model packs a 503-hp sledge of an engine that pummels the concrete, while a seven-speed automatic bangs through ratios and a bawdy, unmistakably eight-cylinder thunder blares. In true traction-be-damned AMG fashion, it sends all 516 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels.
Among its peers, the C63 remains the biggest bruiser. The C63 S holds a 78-hp advantage over the BMW M4 and a 39-hp edge on the Cadillac ATS-V. Non-S C63 models make 469 horsepower and 479 lb-fts till at the front of the pack, but you should pass on the upgraded S only if the extra eight to ten grand would bankrupt you. Beyond the extra power, the S version adds the option of carbon-ceramic brake discs on the front axle and replaces the mechanical limited-slip differential with an electronically controlled unit. It also augments the mode selector with a Race setting to relax the stability control, stiffen the dampers, and sharpen the shifts beyond Sport+.
AMG eagerly points out that the C63 coupe is not just a C63 sedan with two fewer doors. Engineers in gifted the coupe with a shorter final-drive ratio 3.06:1 in the two-door versus 2.85:1 in the sedan for quicker acceleration. Helped by a 100-pound weight advantage, the C63 S coupe should tear down a straight one tick ahead of the four-door, clearing 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. Starting price for the pretty loaded machine is $75,925. No longer does 6.3 V8 or to be correct a 6.2 liter V8 resides under the hood. Todays C63 s uses
4.0-liter turbocharged 8-cylinder engine producing 503 hp and 516 lb-ft through a; 7-speed automatic transmission. Mileage is rated at 17 city and 23 highway but really who cares?
The coupe also receives a unique rear suspension; it isn’t shared with either the C63 sedan or the less powerful C-class coupes. In pursuit of a more rigid assembly, AMG rearranged the upper links, replaced several bushings with ball joints, and widened the rear track by 1.7 inches compared with the AMG sedan. The wider rear stance should make the coupe more susceptible to understeer than the sedan, although we can’t say that’s definitively the case without driving the two back-to-back.
Even with the extra rear-end grip, the C63 S coupe does a nice job getting its front tires to bite and lead the car around a road course on fresh rubber. The steering is hefty and accurate, though largely unfeeling. But as the Michelin Pilot Super Sports heat up, the car becomes a 3800-pound pendulum, scrubbing the front tires in one corner and then swinging the back wide in the next. If you’re a track rat logging your lap times, the BMW and Cadillac are better choices. True to its predecessor, though, the C63 makes drifting as easy as tapping your big toe.
The interior is equally exquisite as the exterior design the Burmester audio system is fantastic. The aero pieces are killer and compliment the sexy lines so well.
This is a car that feels most at home on the road, where it’s an effortless and luxurious means to driving wickedly fast well within the car’s limits. It offers thrust at any rpm and comfort in any task. Public streets also are where the differences between the new and old car are most evident. On the road, the 2017 C63 feels more refined and its cornering abilities go deeper than that of its predecessor.
The pricing can escalade into six figures with all options checked but like my other favorite coupe the Jaguar F Type now available in SVR trim for 2017 is worth every penny. I love coupes and I love this car. Hand down it is one best drives of the year.
For those lucky folks with means fall in love with the AMG C63S Coupe and you will be in automotive nirvana.
The Long Drive Rankings
Front Engine-RWD
Highlights
Performance
The Engine
SEX on Wheels styling
Comfort
Lowlights
No AWD option for some who want all power to the ground
Scale 1 low-10 High
Exterior Styling 10
Interior styling and quality 9
Handling 8
Braking 8
Fuel Economy 6
Audio System 9
Performance 10
Trunk-Cargo Capacity 76
AMG, Autoworld Radio, Bob Long, C Class, C63 AMG, Mercedes, Sport Coupes, Super coupes, The Long Drive, WheeledPlanet
AMG, Autoworld Radio, Bob Long, C Class, C63 AMG, Mercedes, Sport Coupes, Super coupes, The Long Drive, WheeledPlanet
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